They're not mine, I've just borrowed them for a bit, I promise you can have them back in one piece when I've finished.

Chapter One

"Guv, you're not going to like this." Sam Tyler announced as he strode purposefully into Gene Hunt's office. Hunt had his feet up on his desk and was just in the process on unwrapping a particularly greasy bacon butty.

"Wot, less than I liked it when Raymondo smashed my bottle of Highland Park whilst attempting to demonstrate his prowess as a goalkeeper?"

"Hard to say Guv, probably." Sam grinned.

"Go on then Tyler." Hunt said between mouthfuls sandwich "It's Monday morning, lets start the week on a high so it can all go downhill from here."

"It's Arthur Ashfield, he's withdrawn his statement."

"'e's soddin' wot?" Hunt yelled thickly, spraying bits of bread at Tyler who pulled a face like he had something particularly unpleasant on his top lip as brushed them away.

"He's withdrawn his statement." Tyler repeated.

"Friggin' 'ell!" Hunt shouted, banging his fist down on the top of the nearest filing cabinet so hard that he left a dent in the top. "Well I 'ope you've charged the bastard wi' wastin' my pissin' time Tyler?"

"Yes Guv."

"So did Arse'ole Ashfield see fit to give us an explanation as to why he's decided to screw up our entire case against Keith Evans?" Hunt asked angrily.

"Well not our entire case Guv but he's a major witness. He said he'd lied, said that he and Evans had a disagreement over a gambling debt and he wanted to get back at him, so he made the whole thing up."

"Tell you wot Sam, something about this retraction stinks worse than Raymondo's aftershave & I want to know what it is. That's the third case in as many months we've had where the witnesses have retracted statements or the victim has dropped the charges. Right, is that scrote Ashfield still 'ere or 'ave you sent him on his merry way?*

*Still here, left him with Phyllis for processing."

"Well I think that it's about time the Gene Genie talked some sense into 'im..." Hunt snapped standing up from his desk and shovelling the last of his butty into his mouth. He strode from the CID office with his thumbs tucked into his trouser pockets looking every inch the Wild West sheriff he secretly wished he was. Sam followed him out, a look of foreboding on his face.

At the front desk Phyllis was just finishing up with processing Arthur Ashfield.

"Oi, Ashfield" Hunt shouted from the top of the stairs above them "What the soddin' 'ell d'y think y playin' at?"

"I'm sorry Mr 'Unt." he replied looking upwards towards the stairs where Hunt stood glowering down at him.

"You bloody well will be when I've finished with y Ashfield, I think you and I need a little chat." Hunt said moving down the last of the stairs to stand directly in front of Ashfield. Up close Hunt's massive frame dwarfed the scrawny and decidedly nervous looking Ashfield.

"B b but I was just on mi way Mr 'Unt."

"Not before you've answered a few of my questions Ashfield." He said grabbing him by the elbow and dragging him in the direction of the lost property office.

In the dim light of the lost property office Tyler and Hunt sat across the table from Arthur Ashfield. Hunt eyed him with a look of malice, pulled a cigarette from the pack in front of him, put it to his lips & lit it with a gold zippo which he shut again with a snap.
Tyler switched on the tape recorder that lay between them on the table.

"Interview with Arthur Michael Ashfield, conducted Monday 24th April 1978, the time is 10:47am Officers present DCI Gene Hunt and DI Sam Tyler."

"You're lucky Ashfield, Tyler here is so fond of the book he'd marry it if he could, so instead of me kicking ten shades of shite out of you for wasting my time we're just going to have a nice little chat, if you're really lucky DI Tyler might even bring you a cup of tea and a digestive." Hunt said ruefully.

Drawing on his cigarette and blowing the smoke into Ashfield's face Hunt continued. "Right, your presence here is making me feel decidedly bilious Ashfield so let's get this over with. DI Tyler 'ere tells me that you're retracted yer statement, that you lied about witnessing Keith Evans arguing with Marianne Roberts just moments before he brutally assaulted her, just so you could get revenge for some petty little bitch fight you two had over money. Well do you know what I think Ashfield? I think you're lying to us now and I'll tell you why I think you're lying." Hunt said, the note of barely controlled anger rising in his voice as he lent in towards Ashfield across the desk. "You might be a maggoty little scrote but you're strictly low level, this case is high profile, people were sickened when they heard about it. The 'Town Crier' have offered a reward. I'll never forget the day I had to take Marianne's poor mum to the hospital and show her what that bastard did to her beautiful daughter. You might be a greedy little shit Ashfield but you're not callous, even you wouldn't use a case like this for your own ends. That's what I think, wots more I think you'd better start telling me the truth because my trigger hand is getting very itchy Ashfield." He said, by now he was leaning so far over the desk he was practically in the chair Ashfield sat on.

"Gene No!" Sam said loudly, standing up and placing a restraining hand on Hunt's shoulder.

"Why not Sam? Ashfield's playing with lives 'ere, let's just see how 'e feels when we start playing with 'is."

"I lied Mr 'Unt, thought I'd make a few quid in the process."

"And wot, you've 'ad a sudden attack of conscience and thought you'd come down 'ere an' set the record straight is it?" Hunt said, standing up & turning his back on Ashfield.

"That's right Mr 'Unt." Ashfield answered.

Hunt wheeled round and slammed his fist down on the table making the tape recorder and Ashfield jump. "STOP FRIGGIN' LYIN' TO ME!" He yelled, his face contorted with rage.

"Guv, sit down." Tyler said. "This isn't helping."

Hunt sat back down and took a drag on the fag that had been smouldering away in the ashtray.

"OK Dorothy, do your worst." Hunt said sarcastically.

"DCI Hunt thinks you're lying to us Arthur, any reason why that might be?" Sam asked in his usual calm manner."

"Dunno?" he replied.

Hunt looked on, pouting but resisted the urge to say anything.

"Arthur this is serious, we're not just talking about a few robbed telly's here, we're talking about attempted murder, we're talking about a woman who may never walk again. You've claimed to have witnessed key events in this case and your not the sort of moral upstanding citizen that normally comes forward. So why do so with this case? Keith Evans is a thug and a habitual criminal, he's been known to us since he was practically out of nappies, if you were looking to get revenge there are any number of crimes he's in the frame for. Why this one?"

"Dunno?"

"You don't know much do you Arthur? I'd be surprised if you even know how to wipe your own arse." Hunt said bitterly.

"Come on Arthur" Sam continued. "Why'd you retract your statement? I mean it's not as if anyone could prove you were lying, we've had no one else come forward to confirm or dismiss what you say you saw, you'd have probably got the money, we'd have got a conviction. Where's the problem?"

"But I lied." He said.

"Oh great time for you to decide to become an honest citizen Ashfield! We know there's no love lost between you and Evans, what was it, your conscience couldn't cope with a possible miscarriage of justice?" Who got at you Arthur?" Hunt said leaning across the desk again. "Who lent on you? You didn't come here of your own accord Arthur, some one threatened you didn't they?" Arthur looked unnerved.

"Oh, some one did! Well whatever it was they said they'd do to you it'll be nothing compared to what I'll do if you don't start telling me the truth." He threatened.

"N n now l look Mr 'Unt, I, I c can't tell you." Ashfield stammered, his nerves finally getting the better of him.

"You bloody can & you bloody well will." Hunt shouted.

"T they'll kill me." He pleaded.

"Tell us what you know Arthur, please this is important." Sam said.

"Can I 'av a fag Mr 'Unt." He asked.

"Not until you tell me what you know."

"Give him a fag Gene, might make him calm down a bit." Sam said, they had this good cop / bad cop routine down pretty well now.

"Fine, but he better start talking because I'm gettin' heartily sick of this."

"Alright Mr 'Unt, I'll tell you wot I know, but only if you don't make me testify."

"Oh you're a funny man Ashfield, really bloody hilarious. You've provided a vital witness statement in a high profile case and you think I'll just let you walk away?"

"Gene, a word." Sam said nodding towards to door.

"Alright Tyler, we're not finished 'ere Ashfield." Gene glared at him as the two officers walked out into the corridor.

"We were making a breakthrough then Tyler, wot d'y drag me out 'ere for"

"You said it yourself Guv, Ashfield's not the first witness to withdraw a statement, if he can give us information as to why it keeps happening it could be a whole lot more valuable than his evidence in the Roberts case."

" 'Ave you lost the plot Tyler? Keith Evans is a evil bastard, we need to nail him good and
proper."

"And we will Guv, we've enough evidence even without Ashfield's testimony to tie him to the attack and get a secure conviction, if anything the defense'll argue that his evidence is circumstantial anyway. I think your instinct's right about this one Guv."

"Thank-bloody-you! Now I know why you wanted to have this discussion out 'ere Tyler. You didn't want to be on tape admitting I was right." Hunt gloated. "OK Sherlock what are you thinking?" He added, shifting from one foot to the other & running his hand through his hair, full of nervous energy.

"We agree to him retracting his statement in the Roberts case in exchange for information about who is leaning on our witnesses." Sam said.

"Alright." Hunt agreed.

"Agreed?" Sam questioned.

"Yes, agreed." Hunt said turning & re-entering the room. Sam raised his eyebrows to himself & followed Gene back into the room.

"Right Ashfield, it looks like DI Tyler here really is your guardian angel. Here's the deal, I don't arrest you for obstructing the course of justice."

"Yer wot?" Ashfield squawked.

"I don't arrest you for obstructing the course of justice, you don't give evidence in the Roberts trial, but in exchange you tell us all you know about who is leaning on witnesses. Deal?"

"You'd be wise to take the deal Arthur." Tyler added.

"Alright, alright Mr 'Unt. I was threatened. Ashfield said rubbing his face. "Some bloke approached me at the Uni'ed game last Sat'd'y Never seen 'im before, 'e wasn't one of Evanses mates, I'd recognise them. 'E was wearin' a West 'am scarf, 'e didn't sound Southern though. Told me if I didn't retract mi statement 'e'd knife me, make it look football related. I told 'im there was no need for that an' that I'd retract the statement. I 'ad to, 'e was serious about killin' me. 'E cut mi arm." Ashfield presented his arm, sure enough there was a deep slice around two inches in length in his forearm. Look, I'm tellin' you the truth this time no messin'. I really don't know 'oo 'e was an' I didn't get a good look at 'im cos 'e 'ad 'is 'at pulled down an' 'is scarf right up round 'is face. I don't even know 'ow 'e knew I'd given evidence, never told no one."
Tyler and Hunt exchanged a look of realisation.

"Oh, come on Ashfield you might as well 'av told us it was the invisible man that threatened to disembowel you. There must be something more fer Christsakes." Hunt said.

"A, a dunno Mr 'Unt."

"Come on Arthur, there must've been something, a smell, a turn of phrase, anything that could help to identify the person that threatened you." Sam looked at him imploringly.

"Um, well."

Hunt groaned & rubbed his face with his hands.

"Well, there was this one thing, when he, he cut me, he used his left hand, & I think he had a tattoo, he had these ink marks at the top of his hand, could have been a snake." As he finished Ashfield took a final draw on the last of the fag Hunt had given him & stubbed it out in the overflowing ashtray that sat on the table in front of him.

"Right, so we're looking for a cack handed sailor that supports West 'am. That's it?" Hunt said turning on Tyler "We bargained away our star witness for that?" he snapped. "I thought he'd at least 'av given us a name! You always were ruddy useless Ashfield. Now get out of my sight before I change me mind about chargin' you!"

"Is that it, can I go?" Ashfield asked DI Tyler.

"Yes you're free to go Arthur and if I were you I'd make it my business to stay out of DCI Hunt's way for the foreseeable future." Tyler said.

"Yeah, uh Yeah I will" Ashfield said as he backed out of the room whilst Hunt stood staring at him and cracking his knuckles.

Gene and Sam walked back into the acrid fug that shrouded the CID lair and all the officers turned to face them, eager to know what had transpired.

"Cartwright, got a nice little research job for you. Old cases, I want to know about every single one from 1970 to now where the victim withdrew the charges or a witness withdrew a statement. Oh and I want to know the details for the suspects brief on every single case!"

"Yes Guv." Annie replied looking at Sam with an exasperated expression.

Sam smiled and nodded at her "Get Chris on it with you." he said "Thanks Annie."

"Sam, Raymondo, I feel a pub crawl coming on." Grinned Hunt.

"Nice One." said Ray, gloating at Chris.

"Y' kiddin' Guv, it's twelve thirty on a Monday afternoon? We've got a case to solve."

"& that my dear Samuel is precisely why we are going to visit every hostelry within gobbing distance of Old Trafford & Maine Road." Hunt continued.

"Nope, I'm still not seeing your logic boss."

"Because Ashfield has fingered someone who sounds to me like a layabout scumbag football 'ooligan, the ones that don't work'll be down the pub pissin' away their giro & the ones that do work'll be down the pissin' away their wages in their lunch hour, Right, mine's a pint Tyler..." barked Hunt grabbing his camel coat from the back of his chair & picking up his fags & lighter from the desk. "Don't worry kiddies," he added noticing the forlorn look on Chris's face. "We'll bring y' some chips back."